Toll of Tomorrow
by Archibold
Summary: Continues where season 4 of MIB: the animated series left off. MIB begins rebuilding but as always, trouble is just on the horizon.
1. Chapter 1

Slowly but surely MIB headquarters was being rebuilt piece by piece. Although the new structure was based on schematics from the original building, the main difference was that MIB was now located completely underground, safe from prying satellites and eyes, human or otherwise. Zeeltor had been more than eager to design several improvements as well: DNA scanners in the entryways, a triple-reinforced defense deflector grid, a supercomputer even the twins couldn't hack and an encrypted whisper frequency for the com links, multiple backup generators drawing from various energy sources, and a flavor-preserving programmable coffee machine for the Worms.

Nevertheless, there was still a lot of work to be done. Because Zed was wary of alien contractors working on the building after the near Ixion invasion, he insisted that his agents not only thoroughly inspect all the alien technology that came in, but personally attend to all the important repairs as well.

"We should be out there catching alien perps," muttered Jay, as he tightened the newly installed faucets in the washroom, "not playing handyman here."

"The Gullanthrian ambassadors are coming into town to bring us satellite equipment," Kay replied, not bothering to look away as he applied a coat of Thermo-spackle to the walls. "When you travel 8.3 galaxies to make a special delivery, you can demand decent accommodations."

"Speaking of accommodations, when are we going to get our own rooms?" They had been sleeping in makeshift quarters for the past month, the men in the main lobby and the women in the cafeteria. "The chief snores louder than Zeeltor's pet bacteria."

"That depends on how fast you work, Slick."

Jay mopped the sweat from his forehead and narrowed his eyes. "Hey, why isn't he playing this old house along with the rest of us?"

"I heard that," growled Agent X. Aside from abnormally large ears, he also possessed the enhanced hearing abilities typical of his species. X shoved the newspapers that he had been reading into Jay's face. "Look, the alien crime rate's been off the charts ever since HQ got blown up but earth escaped destruction."

"Aren't you supposed to be with your partner?" said Kay flatly.

"Elle's helping Zeeltor install the lab equipment. Which means I'm free to do some patrolling—"

"Out of the question, X. Besides, most of the unauthorized activity comes from teenaged aliens egged by their friends into making daredevil earth landings," grunted Zed. The chief had an uncanny ability to pop out of nowhere with an agility that belied his large build. "With inadequate detainment units, a shortage of available agents, not to mention an unfinished med lab, as long as their activities remain covert and do not endanger humans, we leave them alone for now. Save our resources for when the big fish come calling."

"That just don't feel right," protested Agent Jay.

"I don't like it either," huffed Zed, "but until we can operate at full capacity, we lie low and regroup. During this critical period, restoring MIB is our number one priority. Now get back to work, boys."

xxx

"Is that the last of the new equipment for today?" grunted Elle, wheeling a trolley piled high with parts into the lab. It was at times like this she missed alien technology the most but their stash of anti-grav dollies had been incinerated along with the rest of MIB. Elle was the sort to be attracted to technology of kind. She pried open the crates immediately and pulled out the manual. "Sintillian life support system. Fancy."

Zeeltor scooted over to take a look. "I'm ever so glad we managed to get one. They're in such high demand nowadays, ever since rumors got out of a plague outbreak in the core planets of the Feforos system."

"Looks like one of those some-assembly-required deals," muttered Elle, carefully placing all the broken parts onto the examining table.

"Oh, it's nothing a bit of spit and gum can't take care of," sang Zeeltor, rubbing his hands together.

"Then I'll leave you to it," said Elle, pulling off the work coveralls she was wearing over her street clothes. "It's time to pick up that scanner."

xxx

It had been a long time since she'd stepped foot outside of the MIB base. Ever since they'd started the rebuilding process, she had spent every waking hour renovating the lab with Zeeltor. While it was a blessed reprieve from being yoked to X all the time, it also meant she didn't get to see Jay and Kay as regularly either.

She climbed into the LTD and put the car into ignition. It hummed beautifully. Despite Jay's protests, Kay had let her borrow the car for the meantime. He, too, was eager to get a hold of the scanner.

"I didn't think you were the type to sneak off the premises." X's overgrown head popped into her field of vision and before she knew it, he had slipped into the passenger's seat. "I want in on the action."

"If you'd been wallpapering with the rest of them instead of complaining to the worms in the kitchen, I would have invited you along," Elle lied.

"Well now that I'm here, where to?"

"Jeeb's pawnshop," said Elle, hoping X would find this "mission" beneath him. "to pick up a part for the quick cloner. Still keen?"

X nodded. "Anything to get out for a bit."

Elle sighed. "Put on your face then. We're surfacing in five." She then proceeded to block out his predictable comments about why the human visage was so revolting until they made it to the shabby neighborhood where Jeeb's shop was located.

With his typical aplomb, X kicked down the door. "Hello Jeebs."

Instead of the familiar tracksuit clad figure they'd expected at the counter, there was a skinny woman with a very ugly perm and a shocked expression that matched her electric pink wardrobe.

"Sorry about that," said Elle, jerking her head at X. "Is Jeebs in?"

"What's the rush? I'm coming, I'm coming," came Jeeb's whiny voice, and two seconds later, he appeared from the backroom.

"Who's the gal?" asked X.

"Barbara," said Jeebs, with a moist smile. He slipped an arm around her waist, "Met her at a bar two weeks ago."

"Good for you Jeebs. I'm sure she's a lovely girl." said Elle, without a hint of interest. "Now, do you have the scanner?"

Jeebs tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Yeah, about that scanner. It hasn't arrived yet. The universal postal system is terribly unreliable, you know that."

"How long does it take to come by another scanner?" asked X.

"Oh, three or four months."

X gritted his teeth. "We can't wait that long."

"I hope at least the rest of your stock arrived on time," said Elle, casually scanning the merchandise on display.

"Um, yeah," said Jeebs. "Take a look, something might interest you. I'll sell it to you at a discount, to make up for the snafu."

"You're right. This shipping receipt is of great interest to me," grinned Elle, showing the slip of paper she'd found on one of the lower shelves. "One analogue scanner, delivered in a timely fashion."

"As in delivered today," growled X. Elle thought it redundant of him.

"What a coincidence!" Jeebs' pinched voice went up a notch.

X cocked his gun and smirked. "I wonder if Barbara splats as well as you do."

"Hey, leave her out of it," shouted Jeebs, waving his hands. "I could sue for harassment."

"No need. Just tell us who you sold our scanner to."

Jeebs shrugged. "Dunno. He didn't un-suit himself. He wore a Red Sox cap. And he's never bought from me before. But even so, he was offering a much better price than Miss Parsimonious here. It's enough to take Barbara somewhere real nice." Elle rolled her eyes.

"He took a call while he was here," Barbara piped up. "He was chatting with some guy named Sebastian. Said he'd meet him down at the white way in thirty minutes."

"And when was he in here?"

Barbara looked at her clock. "About forty minutes ago."

"Thanks," said Elle, rushing out the door. "We may catch them yet."

X nodded, and then blasted Jeebs in the head for good measure. "That's for selling what's ours."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: MIB the movie and the animated series do not belong to me. I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit of wishful thinking.

"I don't see anything unusual," said X, as Elle brought the car around 42nd street and Broadway yet again. They had arrived at the Great White Way on a tip from Jeeb's girlfriend, in search of a man wearing a Red Sox cap in the Big Apple.

"Keep looking," said his partner. "Put those six pupils of yours to good use."

"Too many people," complained X. "I don't know why you humans flock to the musical theater. It's all a lot of foul-mouthed puppets and offensively clad thespians disgracing themselves on stage. The only redeeming quality is that singing witch with the green coloring. It's a downright shame her ears aren't any larger."

"Will you concentrate?"

"It figures you don't appreciate true beauty," sniffed X, staring out at the throng of people. He pressed his nose against the glass. "Wait, I see our guy standing by the box office. He's got a large rolling suitcase with him."

"Our scanner could fit in there," said Elle, maneuvering the LTD into a very tight parking spot. A chorus of angry cab honks issued forth but she ignored them. Instead, she took out an X-ray scope and held it up to her eyes. "Yep, he's got it."

X slipped his favorite gun into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Elle got the sense he looked especially hungry for action where there oughtn't to be any. "Sorry to disappoint, but we stick strictly to negotiations. It's not his fault Jeebs sold him what's ours."

"Are you done lecturing me," sulked X, as he climbed out of the car. He slammed the car door shut emphatically. "Where I come from, people respect me. I'm a decorated law enforcement agent."

"Let's hope you live up to their expectations," muttered Elle.

X accosted the man in the ball cap. "You have something that belongs to us," he said, in his most menacing voice.

A look of recognition flashed through the man's eyes and he silently mouthed MIB. But he quickly composed himself and retorted, "There are still tickets for the show left, man. Wait in line and get your own."

"As if I'd waste my time on such rubbish," spat X, grabbing the man by the collar. "What's in your luggage case?"

"What's it to you? I didn't come all this way to get harassed by an overdressed man and his girlfriend. Leave me alone! Put me down at once."

X complied, eagerly. The man fell with a thump.

"Sorry about him," said Elle, irked that she had to apologize for her partner yet again. "Anyway, you have something that's of value to us. Jeebs sold it to you, but he promised it to us first."

"I don't have time to chat," said the man urgently. "I've already got a buyer for the scanner and he doesn't like people hanging about when a deal's going down. Especially not of the suited kind, if you know what I mean. So get a move along now, go!"

"Sounds highly suspicious," said X, laying his hands on the suitcase. "I think we ought to confiscate this and bring you in."

"I don't think so," rumbled a third voice. It came from someone who bore a remarkable resemblance to a crab.

"Sebastian?" Elle raised an eyebrow.

"Who are these guys, Bill? What are they doing here? You've done gone and squealed on me?"

In the blink of an eye, Sebastian had shed his chunky shell and in its place was an overgrown louse with a maw like a barnacle's underside. Even more alarming was the carbonizer he was brandishing. Bill scurried faster than a rat into the shadows. The alien fired two shots at X and Elle, grabbed the suitcase, and charged out of the alley and into the street.

"After him," shouted X, rolling out from behind the dumpster which he'd sought cover and following the alien in hot pursuit just to see his target slip into a nearby theater.

"Let him go," said Elle. She pointed at the scorch marks high up on the wall. "He wasn't aiming to kill, just to warn."

"Females," scoffed X. "They always hold you back."

Before Elle could reply, they heard the sound of shattering glass and people shrieking. X threw the icer to her and they pushed their way through the crowd.

"I think I've placed his kind," gasped Elle, a memory of an escaped felon with supersonic abilities surfacing in her mind. She practically barreled into a plump elderly couple in her haste to keep up with X. "Don't let him open his mouth. His voice will literally blow you away."

They flung open the doors leading to the auditorium and were overwhelmed by a barrage of stage lights. Because X's pupils were better suited for the extreme lighting conditions, he recovered faster and spotted the creature heading for the stage. Gun in hand, X zeroed in on the alien but before he could fire a single shot his target burst into song. Waves of vibrato crashed upon his eardrums like battering rams against an eggshell. His felt his head explode. And although he couldn't hear any of it, amidst the screams of the audience there was an unmistakable screech as the lighting fixture began to break free from the rapidly cracking ceiling.

Grimacing, Elle fired a long blast and a thick sheet of ice began to spread over the entire dome of the theater, holding everything in place. "This won't hold long," she shouted, motioning at the ceiling. Fortunately, most of the theater goers had already fled the scene.

So had X. Her partner had cornered the alien. "Now, I suggest you drop the diva act and come quietly with us."

The alien looked disdainfully at X and opened his mouth once more.

"Oh no you don't!" muttered Elle, as she iced the creature, but not before he released a stunning aria.

X blew a hole in wall with his gun, and ran for it with Elle right behind. Moments later, the theater collapsed into rubble.

xxx

By the time X and Elle had pulled themselves out of the wreckage, Agent Jay and Agent Kay had already arrived on the scene, busy flashing neuralizers and calming hysterical theater-goers and actors. They had already unburied the alien with the sonic windpipes, who was in one piece and, other than being frozen, completely all right.

"I'm going to go for a long drive," sighed Elle, shaking dust out of her hair.

"Not on my watch," said Kay, yanking her back by her collar. She handed the keys back to him.

"Zed wants to see you back at headquarters," piped Jay, as they piled into the LTD which was also thankfully still in tact.

For the entire car ride, X and Elle stared out of their respective windows in an uneasy silence. The only sound besides the gentle humming of the engine was the sound of the iced captive dripping puddles in the middle seat. The scanner was safely stowed in the trunk, away from the moisture.

xxx

X had been thoroughly hauled over the coals before by many of his superiors, but he'd never been so publicly disgraced. Even the worms were eavesdropping. Although he tried to appear penitent during Zed's monologue, X couldn't help feeling like he was being wronged. After all, he'd caught a crook, a multiple offender, and had procured a highly desirable piece of equipment for the MIB. Just when he thought Zed's heart would give out before his lecture did, the chief slapped a barrage of warnings on him and pushed him out of the office. Now it was Elle's turn.

"Good luck," trilled one of the worms, breaking out into a salute. When X passed his partner on the way out, she looked right past him, her face stoic.

"All right," said Kay, ushering the worms away from Zed's window. "Show's over. Let's get a cup of coffee now."

"That didn't go so bad," remarked Jay, as they headed to the kitchens. "It's plain to see the chief went easy on you."

"Hardly," X muttered. He took the hot mugged Kay handed to him, took a sip, and grimaced. The bitter brew would never be his cup of tea. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, you'd have been jacketless for three months if he'd put you on probation," started Jay.

"And he would have taken your tie and shades if he wanted you terminated."

xxx

If Elle was angry with her partner, she didn't mention it. It wasn't that she avoided X afterwards, far from it. She simply refused to give him the time of day. With the final part in hand, she and Dr. Zeeltor assembled a quick cloner in record time and soon MIB was crawling with replicated repairmen and women. Thanks to the quick clones, in less than a month construction on MIB headquarters was nearly complete.

X found he had suddenly become better received by his colleagues, both for coming out of a Zed tirade unscathed and for his role in securing the quick clone scanner. Before, he had been ostracized as the token alien agent and his social circle had consisted mainly of Jay and Kay. Now, everyone called his name when he passed by and wanted to catch a game of darts with him after dinner. It was almost like being back home again.

He sauntered past the twins, basketball tucked under his arm, and joined Jay and U, who were supervising a flock of quick clones as they sanded the newly installed hardwood floors in the function room.

"It's good to be the king," grinned Jay, as he pointed out a spot that needed more buffing.

"Having this many clones bearing my face is kind of creepy," said U.

"But it's worth it," said X, surveying the space in admiration. He passed the basketball to Jay.

"Who'd have thought the twins have such fine taste in interior design?" Jay caught the ball and broke into a dribble.

Agent U threw his hands in the arm. "Not on the new floors! I've just waxed them."

"Where's Agent Kay?" asked X. "I thought we could go shoot some hoops."

"Probably in the gym," said Jay, frowning. "He's been keeping to himself lately."

"Typical Agent Kay," X said with a shrug. "Hey, where are your clones going?"

"Oh, Elle's programmed them to return to the bio-waste area when they're about to go sloosh," said U as he picked up the old rags scattered about the floor and threw them into the storage closet.

X folded his arms. "It seems she conveniently left out that feature for me," he said, thinking about all the mushy remains he had to mop up himself.

Jay groaned. "Are you guys still not talking to each other?"

"She's the one giving me the cold shoulder," said X as they headed to the court. "Women."

"You must have ticked her off real bad. Elle's got a superiority complex the size of Texas, but she's not petty."

Jay started to dribble. Like an electrified scarecrow, U waved his arms for the block but Jay danced right by him.

"If she can't take the heat," stated X, as he lunged forward and intercepted the basketball, "she should get out of the kitchen."

"Zed strongly opposed Elle becoming a field agent, I remember. She had to petition over a dozen times."

"She doesn't have the temperament for a field agent,' X sneered, as he aimed for the basket.

Jay caught the ball as it rebounded off the backboard and sped off in the other direction. "Well, I think she's one of our best agents, after me and Kay, of course."

"She nags and she criticizes," said X, regaining possession of the ball. "She makes it impossible for one to do one's job. I'd rather work alone than with her."

"Ungrateful," puffed U, as he caught up to where the action was. "It figures that the one person lucky enough to be partnered with Elle fails to appreciate a good thing."

X stopped in his tracks and gagged. "Lucky?"

"Have you seen the way she handles a gun?" said U as he stole the basketball from X. "She's smart, she's confident, and she's downright—"

Jay coughed loudly.

"Humans." X rolled his eyes in disgust.

U attempted to make a basket but overshot. The ball rolled in the bushes. Jay groaned and sat down on the court.

"Just leave it," sighed X as U went to search for the ball.

"What was your old partner like," prompted Jay, easing onto his back so he had a full view of the night sky.

"Back on JeeDang, we had the option of working alone."

"Do you have siblings," U wondered.

Jay snickered. "It's plain to see X is a classic only child."

They sat in the silence until the court lights, detecting a lack of movement, automatically shut off.

"Will you look at that," marveled U, pointed skywards. "If I had telescopic vision, the Large Magellanic Cloud would be over there. That would put your home right about—"

U's voice disappeared, drowned out by a strong gust of wind and the powerful sound of a throbbing engine coming from the spacecraft hovering overhead.

"I didn't know we were having visitors," said X.

U wrinkled his eyebrows. "Our reopening ceremony is still a week away."

"I got a bad feeling about this," Jay said, picking himself off of the ground. "Let's check it out."

When the three agents reached the spacecraft hanger, they saw that Kay had arrived as well. Unlike his sweaty and smelly colleagues, Kay looked completely put together. Despite the turbulence from the engines, not one hair was out of place.

"I got a real bad feeling about this," muttered Jay.

There was a mechanical hiss as the hatch opened. A lithe figure stepped out from the smoke and sauntered down the ramp.

Jay watched in horror as Kay raised his fingers in salute. His dread increased when he noticed this intergalactic guest was not accompanied by her usual unusually tall sidekick. He was barely able to creak out her name in greeting.

"Aileen! What are you doing here?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"It's good to have you in our part of the galaxy," said Kay, addressing the petite alien agent. Though he spoke in that same monotone voice, it was clear to everybody that Kay felt anything but indifferent.

"It's good to be back," replied Aileen warmly. She was not normally one to exchange pleasantries.

"Aileen," said Kay, "You remember Agent Jay and Agent U, of course." He then introduced X. "Boys, be a gentleman and help Aileen unload."

With that, he offered Aileen the crook of his elbow and led her to the kitchen, leaving Jay scowling in his wake.

"Hey Aileen," called one of the worms.

"Hail and well met gentle lady!" warbled another. "Hast thou come to partake of the ambrosial brew with us?"

Kay poured two cups of coffee, effectively emptying the pot.

"We can take a hint," chirped a worm.

"Now behave yourselves!"

"Best of luck, Romeo," said the last worm with a cheeky wave.

Kay waited until the worms were well out of sight. "What brings you to these parts?"

"Work. I'm tracking a large scale drug smuggling ring. Steroids, mostly, processed in the central planets of the Crab nebula."

Kay frowned. "Aside from pro-wrestling, I didn't think there was much of an alien demand for that on earth."

"There isn't," said Aileen, pursing her lips. "That's what's so strange."

Jay poked his head in. "What's so strange?"

He was met with two thinly veiled glares. "I mean, I just came to get some water," laughed Jay, awkwardly, turning on the faucet. "Fill up the tank with H-two-O. I'll just be on my way."

xxx

Fortunately, Jay had plenty of distractions to preoccupy his mind, or he would have been even more dejected by the fact that his partner was spending every spare moment of the week gallivanting with Aileen on missions, if they were, indeed, on missions.

Left behind at the base, Jay resigned himself to setting up for the MIB grand reopening ceremony. The grand scale of the preparations made the ceremony feel like an intergalactic holiday. Every alien race with a non-aggressive foreign policy towards Earth had been invited and security was at an all-time high. With only three hours till the black tie event, field and desk agents alike scuttled around in a heighted frenzy, the phones (satellite and otherwise) rang in incessant cacophony, and the chief erupted whenever a hapless agent came too near.

No more time to sulk, Jay thought, as he surveyed the single empty lot in the cavernous parking garage. With one last glance, he straightened the cuffs of his tuxedo and headed upstairs to the banquet hall to help with any last minute details.

"Cheer up," said Elle, handing Jay a diagram of the place settings. She was in the middle of arranging the cutlery at the Piescinian table. He watched her line up soda straws by height, in light of the fact that the Piescines lacked opposable thumbs. "You can have X for a partner."  
Jay frowned. "I'll pass."

"Aileen mentioned that Eidi's arriving today."

Jay breathed a sigh of relief that Aileen's tall, taciturn partner would be coming. Eidi's presence would help deter Kay and Aileen from sneaking off together.

"So, are there any other notables in attendance tonight?"

Elle surveyed the room with a slight smile. "Aside from Jeebs, his lady friend, and Frank the Pug, there's the infamous General Skahn."

"The overzealous one with the bratty daughter?" Jay shuddered. He thought back to the occasion when he'd chaperoned the tempestuous teenager to the mall, where she was promptly kidnapped. This caused her father to fly into a blind rage against MIB and all of Earth. "Isn't it dangerous to have invited him?"

"Dangerous not to," Elle explained. "Oh, your friend Troy will be in attendance as well. No doubt he'll want to sit with you."

The thought of melding with the teenage Symbiote again made Jay cringe. "Literally."

"And the Queen Baabalat is seated to your left. You delivered her baby, remember?"

"How could I forget such a labor intensive experience," muttered Jay, unconsciously moving his hand towards his stomach area. "This is turning into a blasted family reunion."

xxx

True to Elle's prediction, Jay found himself seated with Troy the Symbiote, who had requested to merge with him. He had also been assigned to sit with Eidi, two diplomats from Arquillia, a Syrenite pop star, a religious leader from Cloistros, and the Queen Baabalat and her little toddler, whom everyone adored. The only downside to the seating arrangement was that Troy was a messy eater, something Jay knew for sure from his previous encounters with the Symbiote.

The other agents were seated at various tables in order to mingle with their guests. Glancing around the room, he saw Elle sitting with her partner and a group of JeeD'ang dignitaries. She wore a long-suffering look on her face, although she was doing her best to remain politely interested in their conversation about JeeD'angian geneologies, a loud discourse that could be heard from three tables away. Apparently, the notables in Agent X's ancestry included six barbers, two gardeners, and a gravedigger on his mother's side.

"Look, there's Aileen and Kay," whispered Eidi, pointing slightly with her fork. Jay followed her gaze to see Kay looking roguishly handsome in a black tux. Next to him, Aileen, resplendent in a sleek silvery gown, was engaged in conversation with the Surgeon Superior of Makrosphagein.

Once the guests had settled down, Zed strode to the platform where a microphone had been set up. He waited until the spotlight manned by the Twins fell upon him.

"As our chefs tonight have truly outdone themselves with this stellar interstellar menu, I shall do everyone a favor and keep my speech brief.

I want to welcome everyone here and those who could not be here, the citizens of the planets you represent. Regardless of whether our ties were strong or just plain diplomatic in the past, I applaud your commitment to upholding intergalactic law. When the Ixxion aggressors compromised the sovereignty and survival of Earth, you did not stand idly by or tolerate their wanton acts of destruction. I thank you for that. As long as such like-minded beings continue to exist, I am confident of the safety of the MIB, of Earth, and of the whole world. Thank you."

"That speech wasn't a half bad," whispered Jay during the applause. Troy craned his neck to periscopic heights to watch Zed leave the stage and shake hands with the intergalactic leaders.

After an exchange of pleasantries, the Gullanthrian Chief of State stood up. His personal aid tinkled a fluted champagne glass with a well-manicured claw.

"On behalf of my people, I thank Zed and the MIB for your hospitality. This gift is a small token of our gratitude."

As if on cue, Agent U and another agent wheeled a cart into the function hall. The object of honor was hidden underneath a sheet.

"I present to you a treasured technology from our country," said the leader, beaming proudly. With a dramatic flourish, he swept aside the covering to reveal a towering stack of books—instruction manuals—a sleek silver box that seemed more like a toy than a satellite control system. Still, it was more than enough to make the Twins drool. They wasted no time in running a comprehensive security diagnostic on the device.

"Stunning, stunning," twittered Dr. Zeeltor, his head bobbing up and down as if it were on a hinge. "It process ever so fleetly and sweetly! Oooh, Bob's already connected it to the planetary defense system."

Once the initial excitement wore off on everyone except the technophiles in the room, the other dignitaries jumped to present their gifts and prepared words, even though the satellite system had stolen most of the thunder. The Syrenite pop star at Jay's table requested to sing a song commemorating this momentous occasion. Troy rolled his eyes rather conspicuously. Meanwhile, the other guests resumed their conversation over the main course.

Jay's attention wandered around the room once more. The Piescinian guests were slurping their soup through straws. Elle looked like she was still having a rotten time, while Kay and Aileen appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"All in all, a smooth event," remarked Eidi, who knew exactly where Jay was looking.

"I guess." Jay shook his head. "Doesn't it bother you?"

Eidi nodded. "They spend all this time together—"

"—and we're completely ignored—"

"—but at the end of the day—"

"—they crawl back to us as if nothing's happened."

"—they end up parting ways because of work."

"Huh?"

"You're not even listening," said Eidi, exasperated.

"Hey! Where're you going?"

"To complain to Elle," interjected Troy. "Duh!"

Jay sawed angrily at his steak. "I'd forgotten you were up there."

Before Troy could reply, a pleasant electronic voice chirped, "Unidentified ship approaching. ETA O-twenty-two minutes." The whole room feel silent.

"Twins, you two are regular practical jokers," said Zed, a bit too heartily. "Nearly had me on."

An uneasy chuckle went around the room before it was cut short by the smug electronic voice. "ETA O-twenty-one minutes."

"Not so funny," whispered Troy.

"Pull up a visual," ordered Zed, and a diagram instantly appeared on the revolving screen.

"Picaroon ship," said Aileen, startling the Chief with her sudden appearance by his side. "Smuggling outfit."

Eidi's eyes narrowed.

"Jay, Kay, X, Elle, go with them to investigate," barked the Chief. Then he turned to a stunned crowd. "What do you know, MIB is back in business."


End file.
